Soar Team Montreal Day 3

Post from: Kris Uittenbosch

This is our third day of training in Montreal.  We have seen so much and learned so much. 

One big thing that I have observed is the lack of expressive joy.  When walking on the streets, rarely is someone smiling.  Nobody acknowledges a smile or a wave, there is a real spirit of sadness and darkness.  A single smile may really brighten someone’s day.

In our morning session, we were again encouraged to shine.  If we are discouraged, remember that this light isn’t coming from us…we are simply hooked up to the source.  Jesus isn’t discouraged, and we can still shine his light wherever we are. 

We also learned that all people have different “watts” of light, but together we are a bright burning light of God.  Because ‘God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all’ (1 John 1:5)

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Soar Team Montreal Day 2

Post By: Amelia Capell

Okay, so today started out okay. Then we all got up. That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. We had to wait half an hour for showers… at 6:30 in the morning. We had a delicious breakfast. I could eat this food forever. Then we had worship and a session. The worship team is very good. They are very passionate and they sing in French and English so we get to have fun and look a little silly. We have all loved the worship and have really been getting into it. The session this morning was by a guest speaker by the name of Donald Gingras. He gave us an inside scoop on the history and suffering behind what has happened in Quebec. We learned about the separatist thinking and where all of it came from and how it has been passed down like baggage from family, friends and culture. His speaking really drew us in and we learned a lot. Even though it’s summer!!! I’m so proud of us. After the session was lunch.

We had grilled cheese sandwiches with soup and PURPLE juice. And for all the parents, we did have salad… well… some salad. After lunch we relaxed for a while, and then headed over to L’Oratoire, which is right across from where we are staying and is the best view you could ask for. It is placed on top of Mount Royal, which is actually more of a hill. Or as we here call it, a minor blemish in the earth’s surface…definitely not a mountain. We walked up our 90 millionth flight of stairs, stood around astounded of the size and unsure of what to do next.

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Soar Team Montreal Day 1

Bienvenue/Salut de Montréal, Québec! 
This is the first of many blogposts to come from our Soar Montreal team. 
Each day, a different team member will be sending their thoughts and expressions of our adventures.  Today’s post is from pastor Shawn McKnight.

Our team arrived in Montreal safe and sound, and on time (4:55pm)...thank you Westjet!  We had a little bit of a hectic pace once we arrived at the airport, as there was some immediate language frustration with the fella who was coordinating the transportation from the airport to our accommodations.  He was having trouble understanding that we also had a mother and daughter from Yarrow with us (Meg & Alex Baker)…but it all worked out with a little patience!  John, our shuttle guy, is apparently a newer Christian that really loves the Lord, and is completely passionate about serving Him.  As soon as we landed, we knew things were much different than in Abbotsford, and the more we drove around, got settled into our dorms, and saw some sights…it really is like being in a different country.  The language, architecture, driving habits (cars do not yield right-of-way to pedestrians…even elderly women…as we witnessed!).  This is even more of a reminder that God is much bigger than us and our weaknesses…and that we need to fully trust and rely upon Him to do greater works in us than we could ever imagine!

Our accommodations are located in a school called L’ College De’ Notre Dame…a high school built in 1880, which was originally a monastery.  It is beautiful and very large compared to schools in BC.  It has large wooden doors, oak floors in most hallways, chiselled stone features on the outside, a gorgeous cafeteria with a kitchen big enough for a hotel, and a football field more professional than rotary stadium.  They take their sports and academics pretty seriously here, as it is a private Catholic school (approx. cost is $4000/year) and a landmark in the city, highlighted by the view of the famous Oratoire St. Joseph Church, a pillar flagship of the Roman Catholic Church, right across the street.  It really is beautiful architecture, yet so void of life and relationship with God inside.

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